Filtering apparatus.



No. 703,559. Patented July I902.

E. DE MEULEMEESTEB.

FILTERING APPARATUS.

(Application filed Nov. 8, 1901.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I. V

'mgnonms PETERS co. Pnmaumol. WASHI-NGYONY, DV 1:.

, No. 703,559.- Patntad July I, I902. E. DE MEULEMEESTEH. FILTERING APPARATUS.

(Application filed Nov. 8, 1901.)

2 Sheets- Sheet 2.

(l0 Model.)

m: NORRIS vrrzns co. FHOTO-LITHO.. WASHINGTON c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EMILE DE MEIILEMEESTER, OF BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, ASSIGNOR TO BERN- HARD MULLER-RAU, OF FRANKFORT-ON-THE-MAIN, GERMANY.

FILTERING A PA ATUS.

SIPEGIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 703,559, dated July 1902.

Application filed November 8,1901. Serial No. 81,562. (No model.)

To all whom it bury concern.-

Be it known that I, EMILE DE MEtJLEMEEs- TER, a citizen of the Kingdom of Belgium,

residing at Brussels, in the Kingdom of Bel-.

gium, have invented certain new'and useful Improvements in Filtering Apparatus, of

which the following is hereby declaredto bea full, clear, and exact description, sufficient to enable others skilled in the art to which such invention appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to an apparatus by means of which an; extremely rapid separation of the brewerswort from the dregs and a washing of the same is obtained.

It is well known 'that the yield of malt is considerably higher if the material be shredded very finely or even ground than when, as is usual,it is only coarsely shredded. It is also well known that the more rapidly the clarification takes place the better is the taste of the beer. fication is usually extremely difficult and also when using ordinary malt the clarification and washing always requiresthree or four hours. These drawbacks are removed by my present invention, it being rendered not only possible to use finely shredded or ground malt with a correspondiugly-increased yield, but also to reduce the clarifying process to a quarter of the present duration-that is to say, the clarifying and washing is capable of being effected in three-fourthsto one hour at most. y i

The improved apparatus comprises means for conveying the mash successively under moderate pressure into a number of adjacent cells having filter pipes. clarifying of the main wort takes place. When clarification has taken place, the solid dregs retained in the filter pipes are discharged into a vat or boiler and there again mashed with a given quantity of warm water, as usual. Then the whole mixture is again caused to pass through the same filter-cells I or a second similar apparatus and the process hereinbefore described is repeated to obtain the utmost yield of themalt.

In using fresh malt a rapid-clari-.

There first the" bodies my invention is shown in the accom panying drawings.

Figure 1 shows an elevation of the apparatus as a whole, from which the procedure of the process may be seen. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the clarifying or filtering apparatus proper. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 4 is a sectional plan View, and Fig. 5 a detail, of the apparatus.

, As may be seen from these drawings, the

improved apparatus consists of arectangular tank a, open below and adapted to be closed above by means of a lid, in which a suitable number of filter-cells is arranged. These consist of cells I), of perforated sheet metal, Wirecloth, wire-netting, or the like, arranged at certain distances apart, open above and below and extending not quite to the bottom of the tank a, in which cells the actual filterpipesc, of cloth or like flexible or compressible material,are suspended. These pipes are open both above and below and project to a certain extent out of the cells I). The ends of the filter-pipes c hanging out of the bottom of'the cells b are each situated between two bars (1 and e, adapted to be moved toward or away from one another simultaneously by means of a suitable apparatus, of which bars each alternate one is fixed on one of two adjustable rods 2' e in order in this manner to allow of all the bars dand 6 being rapidly and simultaneously brought together in pairs or separated. For instance, as shown in Figs. 3rand 4:, the two rods 6 are connected bya cross-bar c and a similar bar 6 0011- --nectsthe two rods e and these cross-bars are pressed inwardlythat is, toward each ot'her--by springs e e, engaging stationary parts a 06*. By this means the bars 01 and e are normally pressed together, so as to clamp and closethe filter-pipes c. To move the bars at e apart, Iprovide a shaft e having a handwheel e a'nd also having wires or like flexible connections a, one set of which is secured to the cross-bar e while the other set leads over pulleys t' to the cross-bar e in such a manner that upon turning the wheels the cross-bars e 6 will be moved in opposite di- An example of an apparatus which eml rections against the tension of the springs e a. One of the two bars (1 or e of each pair may in a modified construction be stationary, in which case then the other is so arranged as to be movable toward or away from it.

To the cover of the tank a, which is provided with deaerating devices, a mash-supply pipe fis connected,which pipe is provided with outlet-nozzles 9, opening into the filterpipes 0.

During the clarifying the bars d and e are moved relatively toward one another, and in this manner the filter-pipes c are closed beneath. The filtrate is thus forced to pass laterally through the filter-pipes c and the porous cells Z) surrounding them and to flow downward into a dish or tray it, placed beneath for catching the same, and from there is conveyed to the wort-boiling pan. As soon as the clarifying is completed, which will be the case in approximately fifteen to twenty minutes, the dish h for catching the drainings beneath the apparatus is withdrawn and all the bars (Z and e are simultaneously moved apart, so that the dregs may fall through the filterpipes c, which are then open below, into a mashing-tank arranged beneath and provided with stirring apparatus. There the dregs are washed and mashed and thence pumped, by means of a pump, into a feed-reservoir arranged somewhat higher than the actual clarifying apparatus.

The clarifying process may be repeated as often as desired and is effected by the arrangement hereinbefore described so rapidly that the whole process is completed in a quarter of the time occupied by theprevious method of clarifying, and a yield is also obtained from the malt such as could not even be approximately obtained by the previous more lengthy process.

The relation to one another of the parts of the apparatus is shown in Fig. 1, in which A indicates the mashing-reservoir, from which the mash flows into the improved clarifying apparatus, which is indicated by B, the walls of which may be formed as doors in order in conjunction with a removable lid to allow of the interior of the apparatus being conveniently cleaned. O is a vat, boiler, or the like provided with a stirring apparatus arranged directly under the clarifying apparatus B, into which vat the dregs are discharged from the filter-pipes of the clarifying apparatus and mashed, and D is a pump,which forwards the mash again to the reservoir A, which is arranged at about from two to three meters above the topof the clarifying apparatus B. From this reservoir the mash again flows into the filter-cells and through the clarifying apparatus, in which the process hereinbefore described is again repeated.

In the pipe from the reservoir A to the clarifying apparatus B a shut-off tap or valve E may be inserted in order to allow of the pipe being closed before the section of pipe f, fixed directly on the lid of the apparatus, is unfastened in order to permit of the removal of the lid.

I declare that what I claim is- 1. A filtering apparatus, comprisinga number of porous filter-cells arranged adjacent to each other, a vat or tank containing said cells, and movable clamping-bars located in the tank and arranged to engage the lower ends of the cells between them, to open or close said ends as the bars are moved apart or together.

2. A filtering apparatus comprisinga frame, a tubular filter carried thereby and open at the bottom, said filter being made of flexible or compressible material at said open end,

and a clamping device carried by the frame and arranged to engage the compressible material of the filter and thus close the lower end thereof.

3. Afilteringapparatuscomprisingaframe, a tubular filter carried thereby and open at the bottom, said filter being made of flexible or compressible material at said open end, clamping-bars supported on said frame and located on opposite sides of said filter to engage the compressible material, and means for clamping the filter between said bars, or releasing it therefrom.

4:. A filtering apparatus comprising a plurality of upright filters open at the bottom and made of flexible or compressible material,clamping mechanism comprising two sets of clamping members, the members of one set being connected to move in unison, and means for bringing the members of the two sets together to clamp the filters between them, thus closing the lower ends of the filters.

5. A filtering apparatus comprising a plurality of upright filters open at the bottom and made of flexible or compressible material, clamping mechanism comprising parallel clamping-bars arranged in two sets, at each side of the respective filters, rods each connected with the bars of the same set, and mechanism for moving said bars toward and from each other.

6. Afilteringapparatuscomprisingaframe, aplurality of filters carried thereby and open at the bottom, a clamping mechanism carried by the frame, for closing the lower ends of the filters, a tray located beneath the filters and arranged to receive the liquid matter passing therethrough, said tray being movable, so that it may be taken away from under the filters, and-a vessel located beneath the tray and arranged to receive the dregs or residue from the filters when the tray has been removed and the lower ends of the filters have been opened.

EMILE DE MEULEMEESTER.

Witnesses:

GEO. W. ROOSEVELT, GREGORY PHELAN. 

